Goddesses of the Hunt
by Azure Lightning Emerald Cloud
Summary: A strange woman interrupts the execution of Bree Tanner. Alec is terrified by her, Demetri bows to her, and Jane is livid. This is the story of that stranger, who takes young Bree under her wing, and may just find something in Leah she's been looking for since her first steps into eternity. [Leah,OFC] Is the main paring, it's femslash. I write in lesbian, it's nothing new.
1. Execution Denied

Goddess of the Hunt

Part I: Execution Denied

"Attacking young girls now, are you?" I asked as I came from behind the Vulturi in cloaks red and black. The big one, Felix, froze in his movement toward the teenage girl. Dimitri, the skinny one, turned and instantly bent the knee. His eyes were averted. Smart boy. But also, weak.

Alec's left hand grasped his twin sister Jane's elbow, turning to face me. While Alec didn't kneel like his Russian comrade, he did avert his eyes. To her credit, Jane didn't even blink. She was scared, but her anger won out over her fear. "You," she spoke in a harsh whisper.

My lips twitched into something beginning to resemble a Cheshire cat grin. I couldn't help myself. "So, are you attacking _innocent_ teenage girls now?"

Jane took a step towards me, Alec's restraining hand was thrown off. Demitri was still intently staring into the ground on his knees, and Felix couldn't move even if he wanted to.

The teenage girl and the Olympic Coven were standing still, in shock and confusion. I suppose I had that effect on people. Or rather, judging by the look in their blonde leader's eyes, the reaction of the Vulturi was what startled the maverick coven so.

Jane stepped forward, enough so that she had to tilt her head up to look at me, and I had to tilt mine down to look at her. "She's not _innocent_. She's a newborn who drew unwanted attention to our kind in Seattle. She was part of a force that attacked a coven who for better or worse is on good terms with Aro. She is not an innocent little girl." Jane's temper was suppressed, a fact which I confess myself quite proud of. I know she was suppressing her temper because she hadn't taken a swing at me yet. Though in fairness, she'd been using her power on me since I announced my presence. But she knew by now how fruitless her efforts were to set my nervous system ablaze.

I looked at the young girl. "Your maker, did he explain to you the rules the Vulturi enforce?" The terrified young girl shook her head. "Did you reveal to a human the truth of your newfound _condition_?" She shook her head again. "Did you kill or seriously injure any of this coven?"

"No, I just hid and surrendered. I don't want to hurt them. I'm…I'm so sorry." The girl's breaths were coming in heaves as she sobbed.

I turned my head to look back down at Jane. "Jane, she speaks the truth."

Jane glared up at me, then back at the girl, who dropped to the ground, keening in agony.

I rolled my eyes. And then I moved. Before any of the vampires could make a counter move, I had stepped up to Felix, and deftly plucked out his eyes. While he was on his knees screaming, I couldn't help but appreciate that he and I were nearly the same height. It was a rare occurrence for me. Unfortunately, this other giant chose to be an equally giant asshole, so I had to teach him, and his superiors a lesson.

There were a couple gasps from the Olympic Coven, but I ignored them for now.

"Your eyes will regenerate by the time you reach Vulterra, maybe," I said calmly. Jane had relinquished the young girl from her torturous gaze. "Jane, I won't discipline the rest of you, but inform Marcus and Aro they will Skype chat with me before sending over any of the Guard to this continent again. Or at the very least, a phone call. They have my number. Do you understand?"

"Yes, you've made your point." Alec spoke up quickly.

"It will be done." Demitri echoed.

Jane however, was a little more hesitant. Felix was whimpering now, Alec helping him to his feet. "And what of Caius?" Jane asked.

"Caius is too busy sucking his own cock to be somebody I concern myself with." I replied with not a little malice. "Tell Caius that if the other two fail to notify me of any future incursions, _he_ will be the one who suffers my consequences." I wasn't playing anymore. I wouldn't court open war with the Vulturi by killing the man, but that genocidal fop got on my nerves.

Jane looked back at the Olympic Coven and her own people. She wasn't pleased _at_ _all_ with how things had gone. I gently laid a hand on her shoulder. "You needn't carry such a tainted heart. Jane, you're so much more than this shell you've become," I murmured.

She didn't flinch away from me, but she rebuffed me all the same. Without a further word, she and the others, Dimitri and Alec both helping Felix, fled back across the field into the woods from which they came.

I turned to the remaining vampires and sole human. I considered them for a long moment in which nobody dared speak. That is, until the teenage newborn piped up, "Thank your for saving me."

I slowly walked up to her. She was even shorter than Jane. But she had a kindness to her eyes that Jane had since lost. Perhaps I could do better this time around.

"What is your name, newborn?" I asked.

"Bree Tanner," she replied hesitantly. I looked over the Olympic Coven. I'd never really met any of them except for…

"Major Whitlock, do you really think your family can handle Miss Bree in addition to all the drama going on with the human in your midst?" I ask kindly.

Jasper stiffened at being addressed as such. His waifish mate clung to his elbow in a similar way to Alec and Jane.

Jasper looked around at his family and at last replied, "I don't know."

The leader of their coven spoke up, "We weren't lying to them, we would be willing to take care of young Bree."

"Even if she is no longer under threat of death?" I ask casually as I come to stand in front of them all from my former position off to the side.

The coven leader didn't respond. I looked at Bree, then at the only one of the coven who seemed to have aged into their mid-twenties. "What do _you_ think?"

The vampire who was giving off something of a maternal aura, even from here, looked at Bree, then at her mate, then back at me. "It won't be easy, that's for sure, but we can do it. I think we owe it to her." None of the others seemed to outwardly disagree.

In a moment of inspiration, I crouched down to Bree's eye level. "You don't have to decide now. It would be cruel to ask such a thing of you. But I have a proposition for you: _I_ could raise you in this new and very extraordinary world you've been thrust into. I want you to think about it." I looked at the human.

"She's about to fall over from I don't know what. I think it would be best to continue this discussion at your headquarters," I say with a cocked eyebrow. The human had been resistant to Jane's powers. Perhaps she wasn't just another boring girl after all.

"I can't read your thoughts," the tall brown-haired boy said. I looked at him with amusement.

"After that display I put on for you all with Jane, this surprises you? She may be an emotionally compromised punisher for the Vulturi, but the mastery of her gift is indisputable. And she's worked on controlling it far more than you have yours. When she was a newborn, everybody in her vicinity felt like they were on fire, but now she can do precision strikes. Maybe if you practice for a few centuries you'll have more success; gifts evolve after all, as we do as people."

Okay, enough of this preachy-ness. "Where do you people live? We'll retire there for the moment." The Olympic Coven's leader, some friend of Aro's apparently, nodded. And without a word, we sped off into the forest opposite from where the Vulturi fled.

We arrived at their household in minutes. The human girl looked a little dazed as her mate(?) let her down. I had run alongside Bree, and now I put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "No matter what you do going forward, so long as you harm no innocents from now on, you will not come to harm."

Bree only nodded. She was clearly still an emotional shambles, but that was alright. If she lost control around the human, I'd restrain her without any real difficulty.

A new scent hit me like a wave. it was coming from inside the house. It was _new_. I don't remember the last time a scent caught my attention like that, I've been around for so long, there's very little to discover anymore. But this was surprising. "Werewolves." the tall blonde girl muttered with annoyance.

"Friends of yours?" I ask, for the first time hesitant.

"It's Jacob and one of the others," the mind-reader said. "Jacob is hurt, and she was relegated to guard duty apparently.

"Don't they have their own doctor on the reservation?" the gaunt-looking veteran asked with no emotion.

"Apparently not," the maternal one whispered with genuine worry in her voice.

"You have werewolves as friends? They don't smell like werewolves." I say with curiosity.

The human chose this moment to speak up, "They're technically wolf-shifters. They don't have the 'curse of the moon'." I looked at her with a slightly tilted head. Well, this was certainly interesting.

I could smell blood, not much, and definitely non-human. And I could hear muffled cursing as well. It was only as I grew closer that I realised the original scent that piqued my curiosity was in fact two distinct scents, one of them far better than the other. The lesser of the scents was actually quite bad.

The coven leader sprinted into the house after signalling his coven to remain calm. He didn't have the authority to signal me to do _anything_ , but I didn't mind waiting for whatever was going on inside to be resolved. We walked in after him. There was a First Nations boy on the dining room table. His arm was bent out of place, and significant bruising to his entire left side. His ribs were destroyed. I'm assuming this is the 'Jacob' the human referred to. There was a tall woman facing away from me, also First Nations I'm assuming. She was a little over six feet, so a couple inches below me. I like other tall women, we're a rarity that I really do appreciate.

The coven leader was at the boy's side instantly, working medical magic, I'm assuming, since I didn't really care about the injured boy. I walked by them, Bree practically clinging at my side. I normally didn't care for teenage anxiousness like this, but for some reason, this young girl interested me.

"I think it's past time for introductions, don't you?" the small brunette chirped. She was practically hopping with excitement. _Extroverts_ I rolled my eyes in my mind.

"Your coven leader is busy, do you not want to wait for him?" I asked.

"It's fine," the coven leader said from the other room. "I can multitask."

I shrugged. Very well, let's get to it. "You go first, you're hosting me after all."

The extrovert piped up, "I' Alice, and this is my husband Jasper," she said indicating the veteran.

The mind-reader indicated the human, "This is my girlfriend Bella Swan, and I am Edward Cullen." I nodded, looking at the maternal one.

"I'm Esme Cullen, and Carlisle is in the other room treating our friend Jacob." Edward gave an involuntary twitch at the word _friend_. Bella however, beamed at Esme.

"I'm Rosalie Hale and this is Emmett, my husband," the blonde, Rosalie, said curtly. Emmett was taller than me, not my much, but he was at _least_ two meters tall. He may be the biggest of the Olympic Coven, but I could tell that Jasper was the far better fighter. Some people just radiated murderous intent, and this giant held all the aggression of a teddy bear in most circumstances. I could just _feel_ stuff like that.

"I confess myself, confused. Why are you still human?" I asked, levelling Bella with a look.

"Because she–,"

I cut across Edward, "Did I ask you, mind-reader? The lady can speak for herself can you not? Let's hear it."

Bella looked scared. Good. She should be. But she also had a glint of sterner stuff in her eyes. "Because Alice made a deal with Aro. When Edward marries me."

" _When Edward marries me,"_ I repeated in an unsettling imitation of her voice that gave more than one person in the room chills. "Don't you mean, when _you_ marry him? Pull yourself together woman." I rolled my eyes so they could all see it this time.

"So Aro allowed you to live as a human for how long, while knowing the supernatural world exists?" I ask with a barbed tone. I'm not totally upset, but it's an important question all the same.

"Yes. Like Alice told Jane, the date is already set, just after graduation."

"You're a high schooler?" Bree asked, for some reason astonished. I gave her an odd look, but her typically teenage question diffused some of the tension I cause. Oh well.

Bella looked at Bree with a foreign expression to her, bemusement. She actually blushed a little. The littlest vampire felt she had to follow up on that question 'cause of the strange expressions, "I mean, you look, you look older, that's all." If Bree Tanner could blush, she'd be a tomato right now. As it was, she retreated to the position she had taken up at my side. It seemed like my little ward had a tiny crush.

I laughed out loud at this, which was compounded by the grimace that Edward gave as he invaded Bree's thoughts. Actually, I'd have to see to that invasion, but not just yet.

"So, who are you?" Rosalie asked from her perch on the stairs with her teddy bear husband.

I opened my mouth to answer when the First Nations girl walked into the room. She looked sceptical as she entered the room. She was wearing a form-fitting eather jacket over a _Buffy: The Vampire Slayer_ t-shirt. I had to respect that. I really do. Her jeans were impeccable, and her belt buckle had fangs on it. I'd underestimated her before. Perhaps I shouldn't have dismissed her as 'just another wolf' when I walked into the house. What was her name again?

I turned fully towards her for the first time and our eyes met. I'd be told about the reactions of everybody else in the room decades later when Bree recounted it to me. But in the moment, I missed both Edward and Jasper clutching their heads and falling to their knees. I missed Bella and Alice's respective shrieks of surprise.

The only thing I remember about that moment was _her eyes_. As if we possessed one mind in that moment, we walked towards each other. Bree would also describe this moment as "the most epic thing I've ever seen. It's like you were both Moses and the Cullens were the sea."

 _She_ said, "It's you?"

I could only do what came naturally, I took her right hand in mine, bent down and kissed it. "I have waited an eternity for you, and yet I know not your name." I murmured to her once I stood at full height again.

"I'm Leah Clearwater. You're my imprint…who are you?"

Imprint? I think she meant _soul mate_. I thought for a moment before responding to the woman I knew would be at my side "I have carried many names. Some with honour, and some out of necessity But when I was human, I was one of the most feared naval commanders in the Empire. I am Artemisia."


	2. What's in a Name?

Part II: The Storyteller

 _"I have carried many names. Some with honour, and some out of necessity But when I was human, I was one of the most feared naval commanders in the Empire. I am Artemisia."_

I let out a breath as I finished that small explanation. Jasper and Edward were being helped onto the couch by their respective mates.

Leah's eyes held my entire attention. She was everything I had ever wanted, and so many things I never dared hope for, not even after all this time.

I really did count on Bree for the narration for this bit cause when I came to from my ah, _loss of concentration_ after meeting my _soul mate_ , I was in one of the bedrooms lying on the bed, facing Leah.

She was playing with my hair, with utmost, as if they were strands of dark chocolate on a particularly painstakingly crafted dessert. Our skins were of comparable shades of mahogany, though mine was a few shades darker, even as a vampire. Perhaps it darkened even further because of my years on the open Mediterranean while I was human, I didn't trouble myself with mirrors much in my time, besides, it wasn't as if I lacked suitors. I _did_ have a lineage after all.

"Artemisia," Leah murmured with a besotted adoration I'd not once connected with my name before.

"Leah," I responded with what I hoped was equal adoration. I didn't know her, this _child_. This young girl who's entire existence was rewritten in the last few moments. Rewritten for _me_. I extended my hand and had it slowly dance across her face. Not unlike a blind woman cataloguing the textures of her girlfriend's face. Was she my girlfriend now? I fell that in moments we are far beyond such simple labels.

There was a small knock on the door. The teenager I had saved, Bree, was standing there looking a combination of embarrassed and mirthful.

"Would you like to resume this later, my beloved?" I asked quietly.

"Absolutely," Leah responded in a crisp American accent. I only bring it up because it highlights the slight accent I have. It's an accent that perhaps sounds more British than anything else, but there were still hints of my life in the kingdoms of Caria while I was human, not to mention all the other places I lived since then.

"Very well, Bree. I'm not going to apologize for this interlude, even if it is slightly rude guest behaviour." I knew the other vampires could hear me just as well, but I didn't care.

I rose from the bed first, it smelled remarkably sexless now that I thought about it. Which was nice, in retrospect.

"Did you move us?" Leah asked Bree with a raised eyebrow. "I don't remember much of the last few minutes," she said sheepishly.

"Minutes?" Bree scoffed. "Look outside."

It was dark. At least two hours had passed.

I shrugged. Leah blushed.

I held out my hand, which Leah took as fast as she could, and somehow managed to be exceedingly gentle with me as well. "Also," Bree continued, "It was Esme who carried you two in here. We let you stand looking into each other's eyes comatose for a good ten minutes before Esme decided it would be best if you could have your privacy. Besides, Emmett wanted me to try _The Last of Us_ on the new PS4 they bought for Christmas. I started crying 15 minutes in. I think that was the point." Bree realised she was beginning to ramble, and quickly shut up. Leah was snickering.

As they descended the stairs, Artemisia was tugged back a little by Leah, who had a concerning look in her eyes, "You said your name when you were human was Artemisia; and it's just so _you_. But, I didn't ask what you _prefer_ to be called. What do you want me to call you?"

Bree passed us on the staircase after giving us a smile and returning to Ellie and Joel's journey in _The Last of Us_. I thought a little about what Leah was really asking me. I stopped, and then made a decision. I looked into her eyes and activated one of my powers.

The Cullen's house disappeared. We were suddenly standing in a forest, alone. There was water in the air, a heavy fog. A smell I always cherished.

"What is this place?" Leah asked slowly. The horror that entered most people's eyes when I used this particular gift was entirely absent in Leah's. There was naked curiosity and childlike awe. It was then I knew I loved her. Everything before could be affection, even intense affection, but this? I finally knew what love was, it was _her_.

"One of my special gifts is the ability to put people in illusions. Illusions which are usually far less pleasant than this, but time and space mean nothing here. On the stairway in the Cullen's house, it will be less than a second, no matter how long our conversation lasts."

"Wicked," Leah says with a grin.

I take a small breath before beginning. "Leah Clearwater, whatever you choose to call me will sound unparalleled coming from your lips. Whether it's Artemis, Diana, Artemisia, Evelyn, Amilyn, Athena, or Willa or Stephanie, or Godric, I don't care. I really don't. Hell, I don't even care if you call me something different every day."

"Isn't Godric a boy's name?" Leah says as she smirks at me.

"It's a name that served me well, once upon a time when I attended university." I reply, a bit touched. "I like it." I muttered stubbornly.

"Well, I do too, but I think you're more of a Dolores." Leah replied with laughter on her lips.

"Not that one."

"Fine." Leah's smirk had only grown. "What would you like to be called, for real this time?" she asked this time, her smirk mostly gone. There was a genuine care in her voice this time.

"Shahrazad," fell from my lips.

Leah put her hand on my face, cupping my cheek. She leaned forward and up, until my lips and hers were indistinguishable. In the back of my mind, I felt our soul bond grow stronger. At her involuntary shudder, I'm sure she sensed it too.

"Like the storyteller?" I nodded. We may as well have (and entirely possibly) spent an eternity trying to write our names using inside each other's throats using only our tongues.

"What about the others?" I shrug at her question.

"Like I said, it doesn't really matter. Besides Shahrazad is a name I used for longer than any other. Artemisia was shed after I became a part of the larger supernatural world." I chuckled. "I left too much of a mark as my mortal self."

Leah laughed. It was loud, and she snorted a bit, and I silenced her for another eternity of kissing.

"So, when we go back to the Cullen's you can call me Artemisia, or Shah, or Shahrazad. I can't wait to live my life with you Ms. Clearwater," I whisper into her ear as we hold each other."

Leah whispered into my ear, "Are we going to go back?"

"Yes," I say with a little annoyance at the world. "Are you ready?"

Leah gives me a shorter kiss. And I respond by laying a soft one on her forehead.


	3. Golem

Author's Note: This is short and expositional, but I'd like to wish you 20 followers a happy New Year's Day!

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Part III: Golem

We returned to the Cullen's staircase exactly a second later. Staring into each other's eyes. "Would you like something to eat?" I asked, as I lead Leah to the kitchen.

I looked around the room, and they were looking at me with the same looks of total curiosity, and I realised an explanation was in order. Esme was already in the kitchen, she'd been cooking carbonara with rigatoni instead of the usual spaghetti. Nice.

"That smells delicious," Leah said with genuine meaning. The smile that lit up Esme's face was blinding.

"Bella, would you like some as well?" Esme asked gently.

"Yes, thank you. You're the best mom I've ever had." Bella confessed.

Esme used some vampiric speed to cross the room and hug the human before blurring back to the kitchen to divide the pasta into portions.

"If it's not too much trouble," I started, anticipating the awe that my next sentence would have, "I would like a small portion of that as well, Esme."

The reactions around the room were so predictable, they were barely worth describing: surprise all around. You'd think they'd be able to adapt, but then again, even the best vampires could be remarkable stagnant in their world view.

"How is that possible? We can't eat human food." Jasper declared.

"Oh Whitlock, when it comes to me, even I've little idea of what's possible." I smirked. "How much do you know about the biology of vampires?" I asked the room. "You're all basically stone creatures, do you know why?"

"Not exactly, no," Carlisle conceded.

"Magic." I say as I pull out a stool at the counter for Leah to sit before sitting down myself.

"Magic isn't real." Edward scoffed.

"You're all marble monsters who run on human blood. _You_ personally can invade people's minds and hear their secrets. Leah here is a descendent of a long line of people who turn into giant wolves…I could go on. As a general rule, you should learn to broaden your horizons. Obviously this revelation deserves a conversation of greater length, but right now I don't feel like it," I shrugged.

"Marble monsters?" Esme asked. She wasn't upset, but merely curious.

I sighed a little bit, "The proper term is Gollum. Some Jewish dude a long time ago used a spell he had frightfully little understanding of. He created the first of your kind do protect him. And then he inflicted it upon others like a dog. And eventually, inevitably, it turned on him, drained his blood, and began making more like herself. If you were wondering why you were all stone people, that's why.

I can eat food because I'm not a Golem type Vampire. I'm something else."

The vampires around me are stunned. I rolled my eyes and started eating the delicious pasta Esme had prepared, taking Leah with me into the kitchen. I didn't bother with going to the table to eat, the counter was fine for me, and judging by Leah's devouring of her portion, she didn't mind about the counter either. Bella walked over and was far more dainty with her food than Leah.

I turned to look back at the still flabergasted Esme, "This is fantastic by the way," I praised, gesturing at the Carbonara. "You should be proud."


	4. Wolf Eyes

Part IV: Wolf Eyes

Leah Clearwater POV

The way she ate the pasta was seductive in a way that my body could only articulate by making my panties wet…again…just a bit . I spared a brief thought of sympathy for the leeches in the house, but then I reconsidered. They should be fucking honoured to smell my arousal for Artemisia, or Shahrazad. Shah? I mean, she did say I could call her whatever. Perhaps I'd try each of them out and see.

One of the things that still confused me, even though I sure as fuck wasn't complaining: how did she feel the imprint bond? I'm pretty sure Emily just thought she was just screwing me over when she was with Sam behind my back. If she felt the bond, she wouldn't have been so guilty because she would've known there was no other way for her. I'd have to ask her at some point because I'm confused. What's different about Shahrazad? Such a pretty name. She mentioned where she was from before, Caria, I think? I should probably google that, cause my geography skills were shit.

Jacob was doing much better, thank god. It was my goddamn fault he was hurt in the first place.

"What now?" I wondered as I looked down at my clean plate. Shah may be an ancient, but she wasn't exactly the master of plans. She looked at me with Carbonara smudged around her lips a little with an expression that made me realize how young this _ancient_ was: no more than a few years older than me. Mid-twenties at the oldest.

Shahrazad just shrugged as she stood to her towering height and literally glided a few feet over to serve herself a second helping of pasta. Well, that just happened.

The vampires had gone to their respective rooms to deal with Artemisia's reveal of their heritage in private. Golems? Really? All I know about them is that they're Jewish folklore. So does that make the vampires who were Nazis categorical traitors?

Well, almost all the vampires were upstairs. Esme walked back into the kitchen with Jacob's empty plate from the couch; which he finished even faster than I did. Damn, colour me impressed. I had to admit, vampire mom could cook like a pro. In fairness, I'd never had great Italian food up here in the rural Northwest, but I didn't see how it could get better than this.

"You're not like the others…Artemisia," Jacob addressed my imprint from the couch. His voice was annoyingly close to accusatory, but my glare sorted that shit out. "I mean, you're not a 'Cold One'."

"Finally noticed, did you?" Shah replies. "I suppose I'm not. Do cold ones smell like corpses and bleach to you? Or something equally horrible?" She actually seemed genuinely curious.

Both Jacob and I chuckled a little. Jacob's turned into a painful grimace, but he sipped down some water and was alright again mostly. "Yeah, that's pretty close to it," I replied.

"I think vampires smell fine," Shahrazad shrugged. "You on the other hand smell slightly sour," she continued pointing at Jacob.

"What about me?" I asked with slight indignation.

"Your smell is different to me because of the soul bond we share. You smell like petrichor and pine and some other things I'll not mention in public," she finished with a smirk.

I blushed so goddamn hard. I really should've seen that coming, after all, she smelled of…so many things that I wanted to describe to her in _private_. She was truly delectable. Stop it brain! I was getting a little turned on again, damn it. How we didn't ravage each other earlier is beyond me.

My internal monologue was disturbed when the home phone rang. Shrugging away her surprise, Esme picked up the receiver. I didn't care to listen in, even though I could have. Privacy is something I treasure, and the invasion of it, even eavesdropping on a phone call, was something I found abhorrent.

Edward suddenly had the grace to look guilty. My temper flared. Shah noticed instantly, and picked up on my death glare towards the mind-rapist.

Edward flinched. _Good. You should feel bad you invasive monster._ Shah put a hand on my shoulder. I instantly felt calmer. The wolf within me was momentarily placated.

"You're going to leave," Shahrazad stated baldly, addressing Edward. "Until you teach yourself to reign in your powers of psyche invasion, I will not permit you to be around Leah." She gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze as I leaned into the taller woman. I just…I can't get over how happy I was about the height difference. And that I was the shorter one, it's not something I really dared hope for since I'm taller than basically every other woman and non-shifter dude I'd properly met.

"I can't control it," Edward gritted out. To his credit, he did seem truly guilty about it.

"Maybe you've never been in a situation in which you've ever needed to before," Shah replied impatiently. "Make no mistake _Eddie_ , you are in such a situation right now, since I'd like to stay here for a little while. I confess myself fascinated by your diet." I realised then that _my_ vampire was not an animal drinker…but for some reason the hatred I expected to feel about that simply didn't happen. With a shocked epiphany, I realised _it didn't matter_ what my imprint drank. She was my imprint, and I'd always defend her first, previously held ideology be damned. It felt…nice.

Everyone else in the room looked on with mild concern. Except Rosalie. She clearly didn't give a shit about Edward's issues, which definitely endeared her to me a little.

"What gives you the power to make such a decision?" Carlisle broke in. He wasn't angry, but his politeness had worn a bit thin.

"Well, so far as I know, I'm the closest thing to divine intervention you'll ever see. When Edward returns, he will have mastered his gift. I recommend he go to your allied coven in Denali. He learns to put to rest the myriad foreign thoughts running through his head for the first time in forever," Artemis says she releases me and calmly begins doing both of our dishes. She waves off a protestation from Esme at the show of respecting her hosts.

"Do you." Edward stopped with his head bent in concentration. "Is it truly possible for me to control my powers?" There was clear yearning in his voice. Perhaps I misjudged him. He reminded me of that Catholic missionary my father kicked off our land…good times.

Artemisia nodded. She looked at Bella for a moment before turning back to Edward. "Isabella's mental shield is proof that your power has limits. She's just meeting you halfway.

Besides, your family, Carlisle in particular, wants to know more about me. Think of it almost as an exchange program. I know that Eleazar can help you tame your powers if you truly want to. Kate and Jane are both beneficiaries of his guidance."

Multiple eyebrows rose. Carlisle wasn't about to deny he was quite curious, even to my eyes. And Swan looked a little sad, but resolved. Hmm, perhaps Swan was tougher than Jake described her.

"How long?" Swan asked. "How long do you think it'll take?" She clarified, redundantly in my opinion.

Shah shrugged. "As long as it takes. With Jane, it took a few months of intensive practice to single out one target. From my correspondence with Tatiana Denali, Kate was able to control her accidental shocks within a few years after deciding to master her gift full time. But she's actually still branching out, always training. I'm pretty sure she one day will learn to harness enough power to replicate a lighting strike if she remains disciplined."

There were a few gasps from the Cullens at that. This _Kate_ could do stuff with electricity? I couldn't help feeling slightly envious...this Kate chick seemed like a badass.

"I thought her powers were you know…all in your head?" Alice asked with a funny expression on her face.

Shah chuckled. "Oh, initially yes. But she's way beyond that now. She likes her enemies to believe she's weaker than she actually is. And if any of you use that information against her, I'll hurt you," Shah finished casually. What was it with this woman and violence? It was kinda hot, but also a teensy bit unnerving.

The Cullens didn't seem to upset at the casual threat. Vampires are so chill sometimes it freaks me out. If Shah said this to the pack, there'd be violence. Oh, the pack.

"Leah, it's for you." Esme said as she extended the phone to me.


	5. The Vow

Disclaimer: I don't own anything found in the Twilight novels, since they belong to Stephenie Meyer. My original character(s) however, are mine since they are clear outlier in the Twilight realm.

Author's Note: Hey everyone! I'm surprised and overjoyed that I have so many followers so quickly in a fandom that isn't generating new canon material. (perhaps that's a good thing?) It would mean the world to me if you left your thoughts about this story in a review or Personal Message. Since I'm bending canon backwards past the point of breaking, on several fronts, I'd really like to know what you think. I'm also a newbie in this fandom, despite having read the novels when they came out lol. I only discovered fan fiction a few years ago.

Also, if you have wishes/suggestions of where you might want this story to go/how to improve it, I'd love you to PM me about it. I can't promise I'll do what you ask, but I do promise to read and consider every single message sent to me.

I can't overstate how overjoyed I am that anyone at all clicked on this story with such a bad summary. Thank you all for reading.

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Part V: The Vow

Leah Clearwater POV (I like her, okay?)

I took the phone and said, "Hello?"

"Leah, is Jacob alright?" Sue Clearwater replied immediately. Huh, she had the Cullen's phone number. I suppose that made sense. Perhaps she got it cause she was on the council?

"Yeah, he's actually able to talk to you." I almost held the phone out to Jake before it occurred to me… "Mom? I Imprinted."

"Oh, wow. Congratulations Leah!" Mom said, clearly not in any way expecting that revelation. "You deserve some–,"

"I imprinted on a human drinking vampire." I say clearly, and with my eyes looking into Artemisia's.

"I…what? How is that possible?" she managed to stutter out. "It doesn't matter. He's your imprint and you've suffered enough in this current pack having to be in Sam's head. Especially after he hurt you like that."

I was astonished. There was no other way to describe the elation at Mom's words. The man was basically my second father after all. "He's a _she_. And do you really mean that Mom?" I ask. I was choked up. I won't lie.

"You're gay now? Or Bisexual I suppose? Wait, that's not an issue. You're with a woman forever. Sorry. I'm just surprised. I don't know what's going to happen, doubtlessly a council meet of some sort. But I'll support you Leah. I'm pretty sure Billy will too. Could you…could you ask your _imprint_ not to hurt anybody nearby?" Her voice hardened a little at the end.

But that didn't matter to me. She didn't hate me. Mom didn't hate me for my vampire mate. She wasn't upset that my imprint was a woman, and I was over the fucking moon about it.

"Yeah, I'll do that." I said, wiping my eyes. Jesus Christ, I never cried, and now I was almost bawling over a fucking phone call. Shah placed a kiss at the top of my head as she gently took the phone from me. With an asking look, regarding the phone, I gave her an affirmative nod.

I looked over at Jacob who was looking at me with a smile on his face. He raised his good arm in a weak thumbs-up. I nodded a thanks in his direction as Shahrazad started speaking to my mother.

"Hello. My name is Artemisia, and I am Leah Clearwater's soul mate and she is mine. You can't see her tears right now, but your support of her in this moment means the world to her. Thanks for that."

It was a moment before Sue responded. "Don't you hurt her, alright? She's been through enough heart break."

Shah considered for a moment before replying, looking me dead in the eyes. I knew she was speaking to me, and Mom was just a lucky auditory witness.

What Shahrazad said next basically made me swoon: "I can't promise you that, I'm sorry. Whether we die tomorrow, next month, or billions of years from now when our Star expands and devours the Earth, I will hurt her. And she will hurt me. That's what love is. Unconditional or not, soul mates or not, we will hurt each other inevitably. But I can _promise_ you this: I will _never_ do so with intent. I will never hurt her while meaning to do it. And I will do whatever is in my power to accomplish, to ensure that Leah's now immortal life is everything she wants it to be." She cupped my cheek as she finished her vow. She placed a kiss on my forehead to seal her promise to _me_.

Sue was breathing on the other side, apparently even he was affected by my imprint's words. "Well, I suppose that's all I can reasonably ask for. Though could you not hurt humans nearby please? I'm an understanding woman, but I have limits."

Artemisia paused while contemplating her answer, "I will feed however Leah is comfortable I do so. I can't promise you more than that."

She gave me a small smile. "Would you like to speak to Jacob now? He seems quite eager to reassure you and the rest of your people of his improving wellbeing."

Shah walked over and gently handed Jake the phone. She walked back and encircled me in the best hug of my life so far. We stayed lightly swaying like that for a little while.

Jacob hung up and said, "Your mom's an awfully nice lady."

"I know. I'm so happy to have her." I replied, mostly into the crook of Artemisia's neck.

Artemisia looked up at Edward who seemed like he had reached a decision. "I'll go to Alaska," he looked at Carlisle and Esme first before regarding my imprint. "Do you truly think I can do it? Shut people out?"

"So long as you remain dedicated, and heed the advice of Kate and Eleazar, then yes. How long it will take, I'm not sure. But it could be a while. Since you've never explored your ability's range before, I think it may take years of extreme training," she finished, looking at Swan.

"Edward?" Swan asked with tears beginning to form in her eyes. She may be dense sometimes, but she was no fool.

Edward looked at her with resolve, but also guilt. "Bella, let's take a walk."

"No need," Esme quickly caught on to what was about to happen between the two. Without another word, she gently scooped a slightly panicked Jake into her arms and blurred upstairs. Carlisle followed.

I looked at the lean one, Jasper was his name? The soldier one. He got my unanswered question. "It seems we're the ones going for a walk. Well, I think it would be good if we all hunted, Bree especially. We'll give these two the privacy they deserve while Esme and Carlisle tend to Mr. Black upstairs."

I looked up at Shah and she shrugged, leading me to the door. "Perhaps we should meet with the Alpha of the pack. Since because of our unique bond, I don't know if you still have a pack bond," she whispered to me with genuine sadness in her eyes. No pack? I feel like I should be devastated. I wasn't. Not even a little. Maybe I was finally free. I leaned into her and gently pecked her bare, toned shoulder. As we left the house, I spared a small look of sympathy for Swan…for Bella.

Breaking up is hard to do.


	6. Adapt or Die

Author's Note:

Please Review or PM me how you feel about this story/chapter. And thanks for reading. You all make my day.

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Part VI: Adapt or Die

Bree Tanner's POV

Holy fuck. I don't normally use bad words like that since daddy would flog me for it. But goddamn, I can't believe I made it through _hours_ with a human in the house. Granted, Esme made sure I had a couple emergency human blood bags pronto, but still. Why did they have human blood in their house? And she was a pretty human too. I was still a little embarrassed about my high school question with her earlier. How was that my fault though? She looks like she could be in her twenties!

The scary one, Jasper, was looking at me with a quizzical expression. Could he read minds too? #fml

Jasper rolled his eyes and said, "I can't read your thoughts, Ms. Tanner. Only your emotions."

"Then how do you know what I was thinking just now?" Bree shot back nervously. Alice laughed.

"You're a cute kid. He's good at reading people's body language, and frankly you didn't have much else to go on us other than the telepathy thing."

There was a moment of silence I took advantage of. I just needed to get something off of my chest. "Thanks for vouching for me, back there. I know it wasn't easy, and the cloak people were going to kill me anyway, but you guys tried to save me, and that means a lot to me." I finished in a rush.

Rosalie and Emmett turned to me with something in their eyes that resembled affection. Frankly, I didn't have enough of a socialized context to recognize it as such, but it was nice to think it was. Jasper just shrugged. Alice however gave me a small one-armed hug.

"One thing I have been wondering about," Jasper said self consciously (?), "How is it your control is near perfect?"

My control? Oh, being around Bella. Right. Got it. "Um, you mean why I didn't try and hurt Bella?" Jasper nodded. The others were also looking at me almost imperceptivity as we sprinted through the forest. I thought about it, and I tried to articulate it the best I could. "I'm not sure. Like, at first, I felt the thirst. Like, so much thirst. But there was a more powerful force inside me? Wow that sounded Star Warsy and shit. But there was another feeling inside me that just quelled the bloodlust. I knew if I went for her, I'd die. And when I made that connection logically, the thirst for _her_ specifically disappeared. It happened in the clearing, just after the cloak people left."

The others looked at me quizzically. "Well aren't you a curious little munchkin," Alice chirped. If I could blush, I would. I couldn't fucking help it! I'm not used to pretty girls paying attention to me, like at all. I immediately felt embarrassed, cause Jasper probably picked up on my affection for his wife. And now he was probably angry at me, oh fuck.

I wasn't expecting him to burst out laughing. Or burst out into chuckles. I'm not sure Jasper was the guffawing type. Apparently neither were the others. "Wow, your emotional spiral right then was really defined, and very amusing." I looked away, mortified. "Don't feel bad. I get flustered around Alice too." We winked at me.

I felt a little better about my silent emotional freak out now. "So, are you saying that when you felt your life was threatened, your thirst disappeared?" Rosalie asked in clarification.

"Sort of. It feels a little more complicated, but basically, yeah." I replied dumbly.

The big one had a thoughtful look on his face, which seemed odd on him for some reason. "It sounds a bit like Victoria's ability, doesn't it?" He asked his siblings/wife.

Alice responded first, "Maybe it's inherited?" She sounded unsure.

"Victoria? You mean the one who created the army?" I asked. They nodded. "What was her power?" I asked. I didn't even know vampires were capable of weirder shit until they told us about the mind-reader. And then when that blonde cunt set me on fire with her mind. Or at least it felt like that one time my father put my hand over flame on the stove to teach me a lesson.

"She had a near-infallible survival instinct. She instinctively knew how to get out of any situation," Rosalie started. She continued in a more subdued voice, "I think the fact that Edward was able to handle her at all meant she didn't want to live anymore. I mean, she was older than all of us 'kids' combined. Edward is a good fighter, and he can read minds, but knowing where your opponent is going to strike only does you good if you're fast enough to keep up. I think Victoria basically committed suicide," Rosalie finished on a sombre note.

Wow. I never thought about it like that. Though, that bitch killed Diego. Even still, I can't imagine what it would've taken to drive somebody to misery like that. None of the other Cullens were disagreeing with Rosalie's interpretation of events.

"So you're saying I somehow manifested her power?" I asked.

Alice had a pensieve look, zoned out more like, and then her eyes cleared. "Holy shit!" she exclaimed. The others were looking at her wearily, for some reason. I was just like, _huh_?

Alice turned to me with a new look in her eyes. A fierce and excited look. "I think I know what your power is. And I'm really glad the Vulturi didn't kill you now."

"Um, cool, and…thanks?" I said glumly. She seemed to realise her tactlessness.

"You've got the potential to be the most powerful vampire who's ever lived. I know what your base power is." Her declaration without doubt definitely made the others pause. We all slowed our run to an eventual full stop in a meadow, cause some things just had to be discussed without distraction.

"Uh, Alice, what do you mean by that?" I asked with apprehension.

"What did you see?" Jasper asked on the heels of my question.

"I saw her use _Jane's power_ on one of the bigger wolves," Alice said with a maniacal smile that contrasted hilariously with everyone else's expression, including mine.

Well, shit.


	7. Metamorphosis

Part VII: Metamorphosis

Leah Clearwater POV

***trigger warning for mentions of rape *** (It's the first time I've needed such a warning, but the structure of this imagined world necessitates it being addressed) Also, some mildly kinky shit happens here. (But it's totally consensual, even if it's a little freaky)

Instead of shifting and then getting dressed again, Shahrazad decided the most economical action was to carry me. Bridal style. The feelings of that all too short run could fill a book. Being in her arms was just _perfect_.

The travel distance to the treaty line wasn't that long. But we went on a detour first. Up into the mountains. If I wasn't mistaken, it was where my brother and Bella and Edward were during the battle in the field. I could smell their scents here. The shattered trees were evidence enough of a fight. I didn't know who Victoria was, but she must've been strong to give the mind-reader a fight like this.

Without warning, Shahrazad quickly squatted down and picked up a long lock of flaming red hair from the snow. She looked at it pensively for a moment before delicately and somehow flawlessly braiding it into her own hair.

At my quizzical look, she said, "I have plans for this. I'll tell you about them later." Okay. I mean, it was just a lock of hair from a fallen enemy right?

She picked me up again, ready to go to the treaty line. "What are we going to do?" I wonder into her collarbone. "Am I, you know, still under the command of the Alpha?" I whisper. It never bothered me before, not in my bones. Sure, taking orders from Sam sucked, but it was being in his head that was the shitty part, and that part would be there even if he was just one of the other guys. But Shah being my imprint changed everything. If he commanded me to attack her or worse, I'd have to do it.

She looked down at me thoughtfully, and asked, "How exactly does the Alpha command work?"

"If he ordered me to stand by while the rest attacked you, it would be no different if I were chained to the ground. I'd have to watch." I whispered. The horror of the situation was beginning to get to me. She was a human drinker. Whatever uneasy truce extended to the Cullen's wouldn't apply to her.

She looked at me evenly and asked a few questions that I'll admit I didn't think about really because it was _Sam_ , who was _bound_ to Emily. "If he ordered the others to rape you, would they? If he felt so repulsed by our union, would he violate you to prove his superiority, the superiority of the pack vs. the outsider? If he ordered you on your hands and knees and take it, would you be _allowed_ fight him off?" Her voice could almost be called casual. But not quite. There was something about her voice I couldn't identify. It was just _off._ Nothing so blatant as a cold edge to it, but there was something about it that didn't bode well for the pack.

I shuddered. I trusted Sam to never abuse his power like that…well, I did. Until this moment. But the more I thought about it, her hypothetical seemed like a horrifying possibility; especially since his best friend Paul, had always wanted to rape me. And he hadn't been exactly subtle about it to me. But he was great at masking those thoughts from the others. _'Rape is about power, Leah'_ I heard my mom's voice in my head after relatively boring altercation when I was an eight-grader had raised some concerns going forward.

"I…I…I w-wouldn't be able to fight them off." I managed. "I wouldn't be even able to t-try." I could hear the fear in my voice. Dread pooled in my stomach until it seeped upward an outward. I could feel the dread in my bones. _I wouldn't even be able to fight if they tried to kill Shahrazad. I wouldn't be able to fight if they somehow overpowered and forced themselves on her, either. I wouldn't–_

She cut off my spiral of horror by bending her knees slightly so she was eye-level with me, and cupping both sides of my jaw in her hands. In a tone I could only describe as _goddess_ , she swore, "That will never happen. Not to you, Leah. I could stop them myself, of course, but I want to take no chances. I need you to be able to fight them off as well alone if you must. To throw off the command. I've seen similar powers abused. Hell, men have violated _me_ when I was too weak to protect myself. Even though I was only human then. Never again, and never with you. Leah…I have an immediate solution, but it will change you. You will become something _else_. Not like the Cullens, not like your current shifter self…you'd become like me."

For the first time, she sounded genuinely hesitant with me. She wanted to protect me from the pack. And frankly, the pack, myself until _extremely recently_ included, were bigots of the worst kind when it came to supernatural creatures other than our tribe's very specific myths.

A century or two later, I finally acknowledged to her during a quite moment alone overlooking San Fracisco Bay; that I perhaps shouldn't have rushed into a life-altering choice so quickly.

But in the moment, I _desperately_ needed assurance that the _horrors_ she described would never happen to me. And the horrors _I_ thought up didn't happen to her.

Was I being cowardly? I know my mother was raped when she was at college in Tacoma. I also know it messed her up real bad, like, bad enough that I noticed some of her PTSD in middle school when dad would gently hug her from behind, or if we passed to closely to strange men on the street. But I didn't know why until she sat me down in eighth grade and set aside her own horrors to tell me what I needed to know, so that I could protect myself as best I could. The conversation her mother didn't care to give her.

I'm a little ashamed to admit, I didn't give a fuck. I'd be a coward any day. I accepted my soul mate's offer. "I'd do anything for you, my Shahrazad. Protect me from the monsters," I whispered into her now red-braided hair.

She looked at me, really looked at me, and gave a sharp nod. "It's going to hurt worse than anything that's ever happened to you."

I levelled her with my own glare of determination. "I don't care. I love you. I trust you."

"Okay," she breathed out. She then kissed me with an intensity that I'd never felt before. The cheeky immortal had been holding out on me. But that's as far as my thoughts went before she took out a knife from who knows where, and cut my jugular. She pressed her lips to the wound and drank without spilling a drop.

Holy shit, she was going to drain me. And I just, didn't care. It felt so… _peaceful_. I began to feel cold. I gave a giddy chuckle. It was like that time I gave double red cells when I visited the Red Cross clinic last. Just like Captain Barbossa…I felt cold. And I loved it.

The world blurred at the edges as I felt her throat contract as she swallowed my lifeblood. I vaguely felt a familiar sensation _down bellow_ , and I sighed, of course I'd be horny right now. Classic fuckin' Leah. Am I right? Shah briefly tensed, I could feel her eyes tense in pain (?). Why would she be in pain though? Despite in the process of blacking out, I'd never felt better. One of my hands wandered to her waist, like we were kissing, and I just held her there as much as I could.

Just before I lost consciousness, she took the same blade and nicked her own neck on the opposite side she did mine. She immediately pressed her wound to my mouth. I opened it to murmur something (cause talking regularly wasn't something I was capable of at the moment), but then her blood began splattering over my tongue, coating the roof of my mouth, and pouring down my gullet.

I was way too out of it to consciously make swallowing motions, as my own throat was a little compromised, but it was like her blood had a mission. In the back of my head, I could tell this was _her_ blood, not mixed with mine or anything. I knew what shifter blood tasted like, and this was…something divine. It went over my head at the time that not needing to breath probably should've given me an inkling of what was happening.

Her blood wasn't warm. It was like ice. Though it tasted unlike anything I'd ever drank before, it was colder than anything I'd ever ingested before. I could feel as it reached my stomach. And then the pain started when I could _feel_ her blood perforate my stomach and escape into my abdominal cavity. I screamed into her neck, which muffled most of the sound.

The world was slightly more in focus. Shah's blood must've helped with my losing consciousness, but the freezing pain was beginning to blur everything again. It was like the numbness that comes with extreme cold just wasn't happening. The cold just reached new depths of pain I never even thought to fear. She removed her neck from my lips and resumed drinking _my_ blood. I belatedly realised she had put two fingers on the wound so I didn't water the snow with my red.

After a short while, Shahrazad switched positions again so I could drink from her again. But this time, even through the maelstrom of cold seeping into my limbs by this point, I consciously felt her step my blood again.

I drank from her I drank all Artemisia had. And despite the agony, I desired her blood more than any substance I had ever encountered before. So I took it. I drank, and I drank, and I drank.

I drank until the taste suddenly changed. With no warning, the living cold pumping from her neck turned to liquid fire. And it tasted like…mine? I swallowed the fist gulp before managing to separate from her.

Shah's lips were quickly at my throat, taking exactly one gulp of my blood before pulling away. She pulled away and I watched as she swallowed it. We were somehow miraculously standing.

She looked suddenly fearful, "Leah, my love, are you alright?"

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Author's Note: I really want to get feedback on this chapter. I know what I was imagining, but I'm not sure if it translated well to the page. Please review and let me know! Thank you for reading, as always! Bye for now.


	8. Burn

Part VIII: Burn

I took a moment to mentally do inventory. All my limbs worked, and the coldness was _gone._ How the fuck did I not realize the worst pain I'd ever felt disappeared? I felt _warm_ again. Like, the feeling of a really good cocoa, retracing the paths that tendrils of cold carved throughout my body.

"I think, yeah. I'm alright. What did you… _we_ just do?" I asked in wonderment. I paused. My _voice_ had changed. It was more…idk, sensual? Like not lyrical, but a little more…smoky? I kind of sounded similar to that Scarlet Johansson AI, but more me.

Shah looked at me in a way I'd later come to call complete devotion. "I made it so nobody can ever hurt you again, no matter how hard they try. Not even the oldest and most powerful cold ones."

I quirked by brow at that. "Cold ones are extremely powerful to humans, and even shifters, most of the time. But to each other? They are as much at the mercy of each other as they would be if they were all human…vulnerable to the same kinds of _attack_. But not us. There is no power in the 'verse that can conquer us." I nearly swooned at the _firefly_ reference, but I was also quite curious.

"Did we just do some blood ritual? Are you secretly Nico Minoru?" I asked, a little of my humour returning. Of course my shitty comic references would return before any logical thoughts, typical. On the heels of her own pop culture nod, I had no shame, and I didn't give a fuck.

"I'm not Nico Minoru. Though she is quite powerful…and yes, _we_ just performed a blood ritual. A ritual that only works if both participants are _eager, under no compulsion, and with love in their hearts_. You'd be surprised how many such rituals rely on the mind-set of the actors."

"You got my reference," I crowed. I just couldn't help the elation at that. Sue me.

Godric rolled her eyes. She looked at me with amusement. "How do you _feel_?" She asked tenderly.

I took a deep breath in. I found that I could recognise so many scents that hid from me before our _ritual_. The cold air felt lovely. I breathed out, my breath formed a cloud of vapour and rose into the sky.

I contemplated a few different answers to her question. But I went with what I knew the true answer was. "I feel like _me_. Finally."

Shah beamed at me. "Are you ready to face your _former_ pack?"

I thought about Sam, Paul, Embry, and the others. My brother was also in the pack, but he was different, cause I loved him. But he could also be a problem if the Alpha only willed it. I feared others before. Paul in particular. If not consciously, then certainly in the back of my mind.

I felt no such fear now. Just an ungodly amount of confidence.

I smirked, "After you," I bowed like a gentleman, gesturing the way to the treaty line. Artemisia chuckled. My hearing was also better now. Her laugh held nearly a new dimension of vibration to me. And I loved it. This time, she didn't pick me up, I intuitively knew that I didn't need a ride this time. We would be able to run at the same pace.

I jumped into her arms instead. It surprised her. But she caught me deftly like the boss-ass goddess she was.

Shah looked down at me with a bemused expression. "What? You thought I'd give this up anytime soon?" I asked as I burrowed into her chest like I had on the run up here.

She laughed loudly and without restraint this time. With my ear to her chest, there wasn't anything quite else like it. With that, she sped off, faster than any normal vampire could even hope to compete with.

She set me down when we got to the treaty line. They were all there. Sam was in his human form.

Frankly, there wasn't much to talk about. Sam knew it, the others knew it, I knew it. It really came down to one thing. I stepped forward, less than two metres from the treaty line. "This is Artemisia, and she is my imprint. By the holiest of our tribe's laws, she is protected. Do you have a problem with that?" I asked in a tone I knew would remind them of my mother.

Sam looked angry, but also conflicted. "She _is_ your imprint. But she's a human-drinker. Her eyes are fucking crimson, Leah," he almost snarled at me. He took a moment to look at me again, and his eyes ran up and down my body. There was no lust in his eyes, unlike Paul in his wolf form just diagonally behind him. Sam saw me and was confused. I didn't really give a fuck, I had asked him a question. We both knew whatever happened here depended on him giving me an answer.

I didn't respond. I just looked at him, and then the others. I could see my brother in the back. He looked terrified. He was looking at Paul. I looked at Paul too. I shrugged.

Petulant? Yep. Cocky? Yes. Totally irreverent to my former creed? Also yes. But Paul Lahote didn't think so.

I heard the sound of fast steps heading in our direction.

Paul tensed, starting to launch himself at Shahrazad, breaking the pack's _one_ immutable law: imprints are always off-limits.

I already visualized exactly how to counter him and snap his neck, but before _I_ moved, Shah put her hand in mine, _don't_ , I felt and comprehended her words in a fraction of a second.

Bree and Rosalie were suddenly at our sides. Jasper, Emmett, and Alice were there right behind them.

Sam didn't move to stop Paul (not even with the Cullens here, that piece of shit. He wanted a genocide, and Jacob wasn't here to stop him). Paul attacking Shah was exactly what Sam wanted: plausible deniability and my beautiful imprint dead.

Paul didn't get further than a few millimetres before he dropped to ground writhing and shrieking like somebody put him under the Cruciatus curse.

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Author's Note: I'm on fire this week, here's another chapter. Tell me what you really think about it please? Any question about the weird as fuck turn this story took in the last two chapters are welcome too. Be kind. Bye for now!


	9. I Love Saturday

Author's note: This chapter is a little more sexual, but I hope you enjoy it. It's also away from the action, but it sets up the encounter looming in the very near future. As always, I can't get enough of your constructive criticism and reviews.

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Part IX: I Love Saturday

Unknown POV…a few days ago

Today was going as good as it could go. The tavern I was in plays the football games from the UK, so every weekend (unless my presence was requested) I found myself in my private room, plasma screens playing multiple games on the opposite wall.

Also, there was a beautiful woman's head between my legs with her tongue as deep into me as she could manage. I had simple pleasures, and this was one of them. Her name was Gioia and she was truly magnificent at this. She'd been meeting me for these engagements for the last four years, ever since her father tried to bribe her (basically arranged) fiancé to 'set her straight.' The fucking rapists. Drinking both of those horrible men to death while she watched endeared her to me I suppose. And oddly enough, it endeared me to her. It was truly good fortune she managed to lock herself away from them until I could swoop in and save her from those wankers. She'd been my girlfriend ever since. I was getting sentimental in my middle age, and it never felt so good.

Having Gioia drink my orgasms while watching my team play was something I looked forward to every week. My ex-boyfriend even joined me for the first decade or so I decided to do this, but he eventually came out of the closet and moved to Canada with his new boy toy. Good for him.

Gioia was beginning to grow on me. But in a way that wasn't as easy to dismiss as most of my _liaisons_. She was recently put in a management position at this tavern (by me, cause I owned the place) and she'd taken to it quite well. I mean, I did reveal myself to her as a vampire when I saved her from the (rapists) men in her life. And may have used my power for the explicit purpose of ensuring she'd never betray me by telling anyone (and I _told_ her I was doing this for her own safety, which she agreed to rather quickly), but I knew as she was in her mid twenties now, I'd have to turn her soon. She told me once–GOAL, GET IN THERE! YES! Gioia just had a way of triggering my orgasms with disturbingly good timing. Perhaps she had a dormant power? I digress…

…She told me once she wanted to be forever 23, to which I often replied 'that's stupid, you're perfect as you are now.' But she just laughed at me the way she loved to, like I was being naïve. It was a wonder that a human _girl_ made me feel like that. Gioia was special. Thank the gods her 23rd birthday was last week. I didn't know how much longer I could restrain myself. I didn't want to scare her away, but I think she's my mate. There's no way to tell for sure unless both parties are immortal of course. But even if she isn't, I'll love having her around. I needed a best friend with benefits if the mates thing was just my imagination.

As I slowly came down from my third orgasm, Gioia looked up at me with those blazing emeralds of hers. I hoisted her up into my lap and started exploring her mouth with mine. She tasted good with me all over her.

We weren't too far into that when my phone vibrated on the table across the room. Fucking bollocks. I gently detangle myself from Gioia and make my way across the room in a blur.

Gioia pouted a little, but I rolled my eyes. I wasn't too pleased at the interruption either.

"Hello?" I answer my phone after the first vibration.

"Old friend, it's been a while." Well, that was a voice I hadn't heard in a while.

"It has. I was wondering if I could trouble you a for a favour." The voice on the other end of the line seemed hesitant. That was a little out of character, frankly. "Of course. How can I help you?"

"Can you fly out to Walla Walla Washington? There's business that I feel I may need your help with in Washington state," she said. Hmm. There was basically nothing interesting in that part of the country. Well, except for the newborn army clearly being created in Seattle.

"If it's about the new-borns, Aro has already dispatched the twins, Demetri, , and Felix."

"It's not about that, exactly. I discovered something here, that I wanted your input on. Well, Marcus' power is better suited to it I suppose, but your power is just fine in the worst case scenario." She was really being vague. Typical.

"Fine. How soon do you need me?" I asked.

"Oh, a couple days would be fine. I was also intending to visit the legendary 'animal drinkers'."

"You've never met Carlisle and his family?" I asked, a little surprised.

"I have not."

"Well, Carlisle is quite kind. Very mild-mannered. I assume the family he has made are not too different, or at least not dangerous since he can obviously manage them," I tell her. She hums something that suspiciously sounded like _Havana_ before she chose to reply.

"So assume you'll be jumping out of a plane rather than landing?" she asked with a smirk.

"Always. Runways are for cowards," I say, raising my nose in the air with a little indignance. Seriously what self-respecting vampire doesn't charter a plane they can just jump out of. Nobody's got time for immigration and customs. "Walla Walla, right?"

"Onion country. Yeah. Phone me when you land. I'll want you out of sight, but near enough to intervene if I need," she said with complete confidence.

"Didn't that plan not work so well last time with Jane?" I scoffed.

She gave a long-suffering sigh. "You're more level headed than Jane. How was I supposed to anticipate she'd throw her phone into Niagara falls?" Wow, I forgot how funny that mission turned out until I was consumed by giggles.

"Jane's hilarious. It's a shame more people don't see it," I say as I calm myself down. "Okay, do you want me to be in contact with Aro's team?"

"No. I'll speak to them myself." Her voice was calm, but I could tell she was nervous about seeing Jane again.

"Okay. I'll see you soon," I say, preparing to hang up the call.

"And Chelsea?" she asked.

"Yes, Artemis?" I reply.

"I've missed you." she confessed.

I teared up a little. This woman was the badass older sister/best friend who had made sure I wasn't just used for my powers. She freed me from the Romanians and ensured my time with the Vulturi would be a time worth living. I know she didn't say stuff like, 'I miss you' lightly, or often.

"I've missed you too, sis. There is one thing I'd like to clarify though," I murmur. She hangs up.

I roll my eyes again. My phone vibrates again. She's back, "Sorry, I thought we were done," she says sheepishly. I could almost feel her blush of embarrassment from here.

I laugh, so does Gioia. She's seen this happen more than once. And even Artemis finds her delightful (platonic) company. "Perfectly alright. I was wondering if I could bring a newborn with me? I made a promise to Gioia you see…" I trail off.

"As long as she doesn't run riot, I've no problems. Does she want to be a Cold One or one of us?" She replies quickly.

I look at Gioia, and she points to me. "She wants to be like us. Of course," I scoff. Gioia rolls her eyes. Cheeky little…

"Then make sure she's fed before you land. You know Carlisle's coven are allies. It would be a shame if the newbie broke them." Artemis allowed herself a chuckle. "And Gioia?" she said.

"Yes, Lady Godric?" Gioia replied surprised. Lady Godric was a joke of sorts I came up with when explaining why my maker had so many odd names. Gioia liked enough though. And Artemis (as _I_ loved to refere to her) didn't mind it in the slightest. I think her ego gets a rise out of having so many names that mean things to different people.

"Welcome to Immortality. Make sure Chelsea doesn't nip you during the ritual, okay?" She was only being semi-serious, but it was also a warning for me too. If I bit her during the ritual, we'd have to try nearly a decade later, once her body had fully replaced all its cells. I still wasn't sure why, but Artemis was adamant about it when she told me the rules. 33-year-old Gioia wouldn't be anything less that gorgeous, but that wasn't an inconvenience anybody wanted.

"I'll keep her in line," Gioia replied with a smirk aimed at me. Wow, I corrupted her well.

"Good. I'll see you _both_ then in a few days. Ciao!" She said as she hung up.

Well, it looks like we've got a couple duffels to pack. But before that…I blurred over to where Gioia was standing with the phone, "Where were we?" I asked as kissed her nose. She dissolved into giggles as we resumed what we started earlier.


	10. Aggressive Negotiations

Author's Note: I'd love to know what you all think of this chapter. If you'd be so kind to leave a review, it'd make my day. And if you're nervous about commenting where people can see it, don't be afraid to PM me. I love feedback of all (not the hateful) kinds.

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Part X: Aggressive Negotiations

Chelsea POV

Gioia's transformation went flawlessly. I didn't anticipate her blood tasting so delectable. But I doubt she expected to feed from me during the ritual as well. She spilled a little on her lips, but I took care of that once the mutual transfusion was complete. I need to contact Eleazar, she might have a gift that could be quite interesting. But then again perhaps she'll have to settle for being the most beautiful woman I've ever met. Hell, she was willing to seriously learn English for me. I'm lucky to have her; after all, she's my mate.

Aro and Caius weren't entirely pleased about my basically unannounced departure from Italy, but once I informed them it was in fact Lady Artemis who requested my presence, they shut up pretty quick. Caius was a moaning little shit about it, but it's not as if he could do anything. After all, the last time _she_ visited Vulterra, it was only Marcus' lazy plea that convinced her to spare Caius' life.

Walla Walla was a fucking bore. There was a college there, so a few fraternity brothers learned the hard way that rape wasn't as fun the other way around. But they didn't exactly live, so on the plus side it won't haunt them. Gioia was nearly insatiable.

But that was our first night together as mates. It was glorious to not hold back with her, at last. Also, the whole covered in blood thing is a huge turn on for me, personally.

And after Artemis called us, we were headed towards a backwater town called Forks. Like, I know there are some absurd township names in _my_ home country of England. But this was embarrassing, America. Please try harder. But we had specific instructions to keep to the trees around the town. Something about super racist wolves. Artemis was not very clear. But I suppose she reasoned that if we followed her directives, nothing bad would happen.

We moved faster than any car as we flew across the forest floor before taking to the branches like the ninjas in that Japanese show Gioia was obsessed with as a teenager. The one thing I'll grant this section of the USA, it had beautiful trees. It's a shame Gioia stepped on a dried out branch once and exploded through the trunks of the next three before getting her bearings again. I'm still chortling about it.

Soon enough though, a smell hit us. Rancid animal smell. Like if a dog shit itself and then stayed out in the rain. But the rain was sour milk.

 _Wolves_. There were gigantic wolves standing in a staggered formation, writhing on the ground. Artemis was there, standing in front of another tall woman of similar skin tone. I could tell she was newly changed, just as Gioia was.

The Cullens were there too, well, a few of them were. I recognized Whitlock and Hale, but the other two were strangers to me. There was a little girl with them, not much older than Jane. She had long dark hair, and her face was marred by a look of anger I immediately wanted to make better. Hmm, that wasn't a reaction that I was used to.

Wait a moment. The girl… _she_ was the one making the wolves writhe on the ground. Holy shit. It was just like Jane. _Who was this kid?_

Her eyes blazed a shade of orange that I found unique. Gioia was standing on the same branch I was. "Is that Jane? The one you told me about that hurts people?" Gioia asked with fascination. All this was new to her.

"No. It's not Jane. But I'd recognize Jane's _powers_ anywhere," It would seem that Artemis left a few surprises for us, mia amata."

"Aww, your accent is horrible, but I love you too," Gioia sighed into my ear while jabbing me playfully in the ribs. The cheeky little…nah, I loved her too much for me own good.

On the ground, I saw Artemis tilt her head to the side slightly. Her eyes connected with mine, and her lips curved into a smirk. She addressed the shirtless boy. "You are going to instruct the rest of your dogs that–," She broke off as the girl beside her whispered something so quick and quiet into her ear that even among supernaturals, her words were a mystery.

Artemis cut off, and gave a shrug. Ceding the floor so to speak. The girl beside her laced their hands together before addressing the shirtless young man who seemed to lead the wolves. "I think you can tell I'm no longer _just_ a shifter, can't you, Samuel?"

The boy, _Samuel_ , flinched. Perhaps he didn't like his name? I didn't give a fuck.

He was beginning to tremble with rage, probably cause most of his pack was completely incapacitated. The sounds had stopped, but they were still twitching on the ground. The two wolves still standing unaffected, no– _untargeted_ – did not look eager to interfere. "Leah, get her to let them go," he said, addressing the woman at Artemis' side. _Leah_ , it was a nice name. The small girl's eyes flicked up to him for a moment.

"So you all can hurt my friends? No. I won't let that happen," the girl returned with equal malice.

"Let them go, you _bitch_ ," he hissed.

"If you shift and attack my _IMPRINT_ , I'm going to murder you," Leah stated calmly. She didn't shout, but the way she said 'imprint' made me realise how sacred Artemis was to her. ARTEMIS FOUND HER MATE! Gioia had to grip me to strop me from screeching out my joy for all to hear, and compromising our tactically hidden position. "I obviously stand apart from this little sausage fest now. Sorry, Seth," she inclined her head to acknowledge the smaller of the standing wolves. "I'm no longer a part of the pack hierarchy, not under your control anymore. So I'll ask you again, do you accept that my _imprint_ is a real fucking vampire?" Her voice didn't rise, but became dangerously quiet.

"If I say no?" Samuel asked with gritted teeth.

"Attacking them violates the treaty, meat bags," Whitlock spoke up. "I'm willing to forgive this one," he gestured to the wolf closest to the vampires. He was about to continue but Artemis cut him off.

"Well I'm not. I've waited twenty five centuries for my soulmate," she said wrapping an arm possessively around Leah's waist, who for her part squeaked at the sudden move. But she seemed to melt into Artemis' embrace anyway. " _This_ one, to the best of his knowledge just tried to end my happiness. What would you do if I eviscerated your precious _Emily_?" Artemis asked with murderous intent in every aspect of her posture. I could hardly breath with anticipation; I've not seen Artemis this angry in a very long time.

Before Samuel could respond, she continued, "You'd try to murder me, obviously. As it would be your right." Samuel hesitated as she agreed that such an act would be deplorable in her eyes. I didn't know who Emily was, but equating her to Leah must mean Samuel would burn the world for this woman. "Leah has explained to me that 'attacking or hurting another's imprint is punishable by death.' Apparently it's your _one_ immutable law. It governs how you conduct yourselves among your tribe. So tell me. Is she not entitled to take the life of _this_ one for his _attempt_ to murder _me_?" she gestured at the nearest and largest wolf.

The Cullens looked nervous. Hell, I didn't blame them. I wasn't even sure what would happen next. "Is Lady Godric usually so angry?" Gioia asked as she rested her head on my shoulder.

"No. She's remarkably calm, even among the stuffy old folks I usually spend time around," I reply.

"Have you ever seen wolves that big? Isn't Lady Godric in danger?" Gioia asked with fear in her inflection.

I thought for a moment before deciding, "I've dealt with worse. They might have some tricks up their sleeves, but I seriously doubt our friend is in danger. The Cullens might be, honestly. I confess I've never seen Artemis fight at full strength." Gioia looked slightly reassured, but I could tell she was worried about our friend.

Samuel sputtered. He clearly wasn't expecting a logic based argument. His annoyed look at the wolf on the ground wasn't one of shame. It was annoyance. Like he was upset at failure, not the attempt. Bastard.

My lip curled into a silent snarl. I reached out with my powers. My powers worked similarly to the man who originally brought me into the life of immortality, Lord Marcus. I inherited his powers, well, his basic power set. He could feel the bonds between people. After decades of experimentation, I realised I could go a step further and manipulate those bonds. End loves, make enemies inseparable, etc. I was still finding new ways to destroy my enemies. And these _mongrels_ were enemies.

They were all linked to Samuel. Those links may have been made of irons. There was no flexibility where their bonds were concerned. He was their _master_. The wolf that Leah called 'Seth' had the weakest tether to him, I could see it unravelling by the moment. His bond with Leah was far stronger.

And now I new for sure what I suspected a few moments ago. If Samuel had wanted, no attack would've happened at all. The fact that there had been any sort of altercation meant it happened with _his consent_.

My eyes darted to Leah and Artemis. Their bond looked even more beautiful than the one between myself and Gioia, though it was no stronger. Perhaps because the new girl was a wolf before she became _more_? That meant…that meant that she was a slave before, even if she was never addressed as such. No trace of that bond remained with Leah. I could tell that Seth was her _brother_ , but the she reserved only animosity for the other wolves.

I whipped out my phone and sent a text.

Before Samuel could reply, Artemis pulled out her phone. She tilted her head to the side, and nodded once.

"If the wolves attack, follow your baser instincts," I implored of Gioia. She nodded.

In the blink of an eye, we stood a couple meters from Artemis and the others.

"Cheers!" I spoke with a healthy dose of malice, addressing the wolves first. The Cullens gasped. Whitlock looked bemused, but the others looked apprehensive. Not fans of the Vulturi I see. I didn't blame them, we're a savage lot when situations necessitate violence.

Samuel flinched as he truly realised how outnumbered he was. But I had to acknowledge the inner strength it must've taken to steel himself. To bad I happened to be judgemental about slavery. "Since Leah is no longer a member of this pack, she can claim no such right within our rules," he bit out. "The Alpha Command doesn't work anymore, the connection is gone. Leah, as a blood-su–drinker, you are no longer welcome on our lands," he said. He didn't take pleasure in saying that, but his voice was hard all the same.

"You don't have the right to deny me seeing my brother or mother," Leah hissed.

"You're a monster, congratulations, there are consequences," Samuel spat back.

Leah looked at Artemis for a flicker of a moment and seemed to get some kind of invisible confirmation. "You can't stop me _Sam._ I'm not _yours to command_ anymore." Her voice became deeper.

The large wolf on the ground got to his feet. His intent was obvious. He was going to try and finish what he started.

Artemis suddenly sprouted a smirk of pride and malice, as she stepped back from Leah, jerking her head to everyone else to do the same. Sam narrowed his eyes at the pair of them, but did nothing to stop the five foot tall wolf.

A growl unlike anything I'd ever heard, oily and laced with hatred. It sounded a lot like the Witchking from the third _Lord of the Rings_ film (Gioia made me watch them when she found out I hadn't seen them before. Extended editions and all.). "So that's how it's gonna be," Leah got out. I felt a flicker of fear. A genuine chill that had never happened since Artemis raised me from Golem to what I am now.

Leah exploded outward in blood. It was horrifying. The Cullens and the Jane substitute sprang back with a variety of swears.

My eyes (and several other pairs) darted toward Artemis, beseeching her for a cue as to how to feel. She was almost glowing with pride and _love_? I looked back to where Leah was standing…there was something standing where Leah had just been. A very large something. A _gargantuan_ wolf. At least twice as large as the biggest of the ones here. It was covered in Leah's blood, but the voice in head erased all doubt as to the condition of my maker's mate.

" _So, Paul. Who's gonna get_ fucked _now?"_ Leah's voice echoed around my head, and probably everyone else's. The originally big wolf–Paul– tried to abort his attack with a whimper.

Leah wasn't having that. She caught him around the middle in her jaws as he turned to flee.

He began to desperately howl in pain. But Leah wasn't in the mood to draw it out. She closed her jaws, and tossed her head back and forth, in a sharp jerking motion.

Blood was suddenly everywhere. It fell to the ground in litres. And we were all in the splash zone…I really liked these boots…oh well, this was fucking riveting.

Leah opened her mouth.

Paul fell out. He was in one piece, barely. But his spine was clearly visible. It was in three different pieces.

He was still alive. His whimpers intensified as he shifted back to human form. Frankly, it didn't help much. Sam started forward to help him out, but he was too slow. Leah wasn't done yet.

Suddenly petrified eyes and scream disappeared inside Leah's maw as she picked him up gingerly.

And then she flung him casually at one of the tall pines bordering our little rendezvous.

He hit the tree with an ugly wet sound. The sinew and tendons holding his body together was overcome.

There was a second splash of blood, and a sound that I found oddly appealing.

Paul's body tore into three pieces. His upper chest and partially severed head landed at the tree's base while his abdomen and lower half parted ways into the forest.

Nobody moved except Leah, who's hulking form almost lazily meandered over to where the head and collarbone lay. In clear view of everyone, she raised her left paw and popped his head like a tomato.

 _"_ _So…Sam, would you like to reconsider barring me from my_ family _?"_ Leah snarled at the pack, who had all but Seth, pissed themselves. Including Sam, who shat himself.

Artemis let out a peal of laughter that I found a bit deranged, but she couldn't help that was how her happy laugh sounded. She walked over to Leah and lithely leapt onto the nape of her neck, straddling her mate. She pressed a kiss into Leah's furry forehead before looking up at me and chuckling, "Chelsea, how about you properly introduce yourself? I think further bloodshed would be anticlimactic."


	11. Be Unmade

Part XI: Be Unmade

Bree's POV

Jesus fucking Christ. The last two minutes were surreal.

Let's recap:

I drained Bambi and some of his friends on the sprint over here (nasty stuff, animal blood), and I wasn't as thirsty now as I was before. Part of me (a larger part than was probably appropriate) was glad I couldn't sleep anymore. Nightmares of draining two of Bambi and 3 of Thumper would be so traumatic. But I was hella worried about our friends. Alice said she had a vision (because she was a fucking pre-cog!) of blood and wolves. And me hurting them, somehow, with that _bitch's_ powers.

I have torture powers? Why did it feel so _right?_ What just happened?

Leah went full Princess Mononoke with that transformation. Bigger even. Also, yuck. I got sprayed with her blood when she did that. It tasted weird. And again when she trisected that shit ticket. Also, she just killed that dude.

If I wasn't raised as a newborn in such horrible conditions with young men and women being violated and then torn apart in front of me for weeks, I would've passed out. But I wasn't a stranger to the worst kinds of cruelties anymore, so this asshole's death didn't much bother me.

The rest of the wolves really didn't look eager to pick a fight with Leah or Artemisia anymore. I mean, Leah went _Attack on Titan_ all over that one dude, so I didn't blame them.

There were two new people. _And they were like Artemisia!_ Vampires, but not cold ones. For some reason, the Cullens looked _scared_ of the shorter lighter-skinned one. I mean, she looked kinda cute, maybe only a few years older than me when she was turned. Was it just me, or did most vamps end up immortal during highschool or college years? Oh, wait. My 21st century mind is showing. Millenials for life!

So most vamps were in their physical prime when they were turned. Good thing to remember going forward I guess.

Artemisia was acting like a three-year-old with a new stuffed animal. She just bounded over to Leah and jumped on her, started an intense cuddling session.

Vampires are fucking weirdos. I mean, I was always a weirdo, so I'm not too chuffed about a new level of it. Though I suppose the weirdness was doubly true for _mated_ vampires.

Wow, I was really zoning out. I think I checked out when Artemisia landed on Leah's back. But now I looked back at the wolf-leader, Sam. _Chelsea_ , as Artemisia named her, had Sam on his knees before anybody else could blink.

The tall Mediterranean super model Chelsea arrived with looked on with fascination and adoration. _Great, another mated couple_ , as if things weren't already fucking fucked up with heart eyes and weirdness everywhere.

Now that _daddy_ could never hurt me again, I could use filthy language whenever I wanted! Even if it was just inside my head. I think vocalizing these words may take a little longer for me to do without physically flinching.

So, Chelsea had watched _Avatar: Legend of Korra_ , cause the position she had Sam in was straight up Amon style. Like, Avatar Aang was always serene as hell when he stripped people's souls apart when he took their powers away. Chelsea was far more predatory, hence, Amon, and _Avatar Korra_.

In all the chaos, I didn't notice the mind-reader show up. Edward. Wasn't he going to tundra central in Alaska? He was looking at me with a quirked eyebrow…he heard all my references, and now he was hearing this…fucking fantastic. Also, _can you like, just not…in my head right now?_ Though now I thought about it, other than the hint of amusement at my favourite TV show, he looked kinda bummed out.

The human, Bella wasn't with him. Oh. Did they break up?

"Sam, is it?" Chelsea started. Sam looked terrified, but realised if he shifted to his wolf form, he'd fucking die immediately. Judging from the fact that Leah was currently licking the blood off her red-drenched muzzle meant she liked the taste of wolf-blood. Sam probably–scratch that– _definitely_ noticed her doing that. It was a little creepy to be honest. Did that count as cannibalism? Gross.

Sam didn't reply to Chelsea's inane question. "Did you hear me, _boy_?" She repeated with a little more edge.

"Yes." Sam was _not_ pleased about being (literally) under the thumb of somebody a full head shorter than him.

Chelsea briefly looked up at my saviour Artemisia, who nodded. Was that permission of some sort? Chelsea's grin split her face and accentuated her sharp cheekbones in a predatory grin. "Well, I must say it's not often I get to perform surgery with my powers. Usually, I'm asked to do something as simple as severing shaky intra-coven relationships."

"What do you mean?" Sam spat out.

"Well, the thing is, I don't like slavery. You see, I was born a slave, and my human memories have erased any sort of sympathy for slavers, however benign they may be." Chelsea's tone was becoming dangerously glee. "The whip is _always_ hanging overhead."

"What the fuck do you mean?" Sam spat again. Like, there was literally spit dripping from his chin, it was hella nasty.

The Cullens were definitely uncomfortable now. Edward shot a glance at Alice, who dispassionately shrugged. The tall bronze-skinned vamp who came with Chelsea walked over to me. I was standing slightly apart from everyone else. It was only then I'd subconsciously edged toward Leah and Artemisia. The newcomer winked down at me. I blushed. WTF was with me today and blushing at gorgeous women? It was goddamn embarrassing. She looked like a university student, like, the university student who single-handedly leads her volleyball team to _all_ the trophies. And then fucks all the girls on her team to celebrate. Did anybody do that? _I'd do that_

She put a hand on my head and moved it around lightly. Thankfully this small gesture of hers shook me out of my volleyball girl fantasies. _She was petting me!_ And I loved it. I'm a weirdo, no two ways about it.

"Who are you, shorty?" She asked in a distinctly Italian accent.

I bristled at the jab at my diminutive height and responded, "Bree. Who are you?"

"I'm Gioia. Chelsea's mate." As if I couldn't assume that the way she was looking at the other immortal. But my little spat of jealousy disappeared as quickly as my thirst for Bella's blood. Yep. Jealousy over this Italian beauty would get me murdered, thank you Victoria powers.

A gasp from all the wolves sans Leah brought both of our attention back towards the confrontation happening in front of us.

Chelsea began cackling. Okay, she was a little frightening, I'll admit. She had my vote for most chilling Bellatrix impersonation.

Sam looked horrified. Could he feel the effect of Chelsea's powers? "Hey, Alice?" I whispered super quietly. I hoped it was quiet enough for only the people on our side of the treaty line to hear. "What can she do?"

Alice looked at the rest of the pack for a moment before turning back to me. "She can alter the bonds people have with each other. Like, she could make it so none of my family even like each other anymore, or she could make us her slaves if she wanted." Wow. That was fucking terrifying.

"But she just said she hates slavery?" I asked.

"I don't know much about her to be honest," Alice conceded.

Gioia stepped up to defend her mate in our little side chat. "Chelsea _never_ uses her powers to subjugate people like that. It's not the same as holding command over everybody, she'd have to work at it for a long time to enslave somebody. And it's not like she's ever done it before."

Chelsea seemed to notice our little side-chat. "I did once." Everybody turned to her now. "I enslaved my old master. And not for very long. Besides, the horrors I visited upon him before finishing him was _nothing_ compared to what he put me and the rest of us through." Her voice had a cold edge to it that had the small hairs on my arms stand up.

"You, however," Chelsea had returned to her normal tone (which was scary for different reasons) as she addressed Sam. "You will not be my slave, since that's a punishment I'll only reserve for people who successfully visit horrors upon those I love or myself. You're just an asshole. Frankly, I'm curious as to how far it's 'okay' to go with you." Chelsea looked up at Artemisia.

"I can do whatever I want?" she asked for a full and unequivocal confirmation.

"Yes. But don't harm _that_ one," she said pointing to the smallest of the wolves. I didn't actually hurt that one. (Not that I had much control over who I hurt in that moment. The Cullens were lucky they weren't collateral.) "He's Leah's brother."

Chelsea nodded and seemed to gather her thoughts for a moment. "If you could shift back to your human form, that would be probably less painful for you."

Leah's brother immediately shifted back into a human. Sam looked flabbergasted, as did some of the other wolves. Surprise on the face of a wolf looks priceless, by the way.

Chelsea started laughing. Leah also laughed telepathically. How the fuck did that work? I suppose we'd find out about Leah's ability to manifest her voice (and laughs) in our minds at some later time. "Wow. So I suppose I don't have to worry about hurting him anyway. He just defied your Alpha command. How is that possible I wonder?"

Oddly enough it was Edward who responded, "Perogative of his bloodline. Seth, Leah, and Jacob, who's currently recovering at our house, have a more 'pure' lineage than Sam."

Chelsea looked as surprised as anyone that it was one of the more introverted Cullens to speak up. Personally, I thought Rosalie won the prize of 'most introverted,' but then again, I only knew them for less than 24 hours.

"Well, that makes sense. It seems to me the way you're all so effective is your pack bond. Hearing each other's thoughts and such must make you _amazing_ in combat. It's a bloody shame I'll never see it in action."

Edward's eyes widened, "Holy shit," he muttered. He was _cowed_.

Chelsea ignored the mind-reader and continued without missing a beat. Her voice seemed to be verging on breaking into laughter, as if this was all so easy. "Whatever or whichever one of your gods designed this bond was a fool. Making _one_ of you a lynchpin was a _bad_ idea. All your powers funnelled through a single lynchpin, a person…wow that's dumb. As it stands, the connective tissue of 'your' pack runs through you….I think that's a _mistake_."

The wolves all started keening and Sam screamed as well as their most prized bond of fraternity was rent asunder forever. All of them dropped to the ground unconscious, like least-loved marionettes.

Chelsea took in a deep breath. Her smile was almost orgasmic as she breathed, "Be unmade."

* * *

Author's Note: Hello readers! I took a rather extreme step in this chapter, let me know what you think? Also, thank you for reading!


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